Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (4 June 1867-27 January 1951) was the President of Finland from 4 August 1944 to 11 March 1946, succeeding Risto Ryti and preceding Juho Kusti Paasikivi. Having led Finland during the Finnish Civil War, Winter War, and the late stages of World War II, Mannerheim was loved by his people for standing up to the Soviet Union's aggression, and he is considered to be "the father of modern Finland".

Biography
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was born on 4 June 1867 in Askainen, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire to a well-known noble family that came from Germany in the late 17th century. From 1887 to 1917, he served in the Imperial Russian Army and almost forgot how to speak Finnish while serving in Russia's military, but he re-learned it later in life. Mannerheim was appointed commander-in-chief of Finland's new armed forces at the start of the Finnish Civil War in January 1918, and in March he was promoted to General of Cavalry. Although he supported the Lapua Movement, he refused to be named dictator of Finland, and in 1933 he was promoted to Field Marshal.

When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1940 in the "Winter War", Mannerheim was given command of the Finnish forces resisting the Bolsheviks due to his experience against them in 1918. Mannerheim defended Finland from the "Mannerheim Line", and although the Soviets were victorious in some pitched battles, the Finns succeeded in ambushing the Soviets using ski troops and fought the Soviets to a standstill. Eventually, Finland was forced to give Karelia to Russia, but Finland allied with Nazi Germany during World War II to reclaim lost land in the Continuation War. Adolf Hitler visited Mannerheim ostensibly to celebrate his 75th birthday, but he instead asked him to step up Finland's military campaign against the Soviets. However, he was not pro-Nazi, and he brazenly lit a cigarette while talking with Hitler (who led an anti-tobacco campaign in Germany; Hitler did not react to Mannerheim's lighting) and had an engineer record a conversation with Hitler in his car. In August 1944, Mannerheim became President after Risto Ryti resigned, and Mannerheim voided the pact with Germany, leading to the Germans declaring war on Finland. The Finns allied with the Soviets to fight against Germany in the Lapland War, and in 1946 he resigned from the presidency after accomplishing his goals. Even his communist enemies from 1918 respected him as a good leader, and he died in 1951 at the age of 83.